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Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths within the UK. Keep yourself safe from Asbestos in the workplace

Asbestos is a well-known hazard in many workplaces - whether the asbestos is part of the work itself, or whether it is simply in components of the building or site where work is being performed. Employers are bound by regulations of both the United Kingdom"s (UK"s) Environment Agency (EA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that serve to protect employees from asbestos exposure on the job.

If you are aware of asbestos in a workplace for which you are responsible, it’s in your best interest and that of your employees to know how, when, and even whether to deal with the asbestos - for everyone’s safety.

Action Steps
Take asbestos seriously

Asbestos is carcinogenic. Exposure to asbestos can cause; Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Asbestosis, and other serious health problems.

If asbestos-containing products are not disturbed and are not in poor or deteriorating condition, it is possible that they can be safely left in place. Disturbing or manipulating asbestos can release the dangerous fibres, which can stay suspended and unseen in the air for hours or days, ready to be inadvertently inhaled. An asbestos abatement contractor can examine the asbestos components in your workplace and tell you whether they ought to be removed.

Make sure that your workplace is compliant

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 came into force on 13 November 2006 (Asbestos Regulations - SI 2006/2739)

These Regulations bring together the three previous sets of Regulations covering the prohibition of asbestos, the control of asbestos at work and asbestos licensing.

The Regulations prohibit the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos. They continue the ban introduced for blue and brown asbestos in 1985 and for white asbestos in 1999. They also continue to ban the second-hand use of asbestos products such as asbestos cement sheets and asbestos boards and tiles; including panels which have been covered with paint or textured plaster containing asbestos.

REMEMBER: The ban applies to new use of asbestos. If existing asbestos containing materials are in good condition, they may be left in place; their condition monitored and managed to ensure they are not disturbed.

If the work performed at your site directly involves asbestos-containing materials or products, for example in industries such as:

• Shipbuilding
• Building construction, renovation or demolition
• Vehicle clutch and brake repair work
• Asbestos mining and milling
• Asbestos product manufacturing

You must comply with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA) regulations. See the relevant website information at:

Health and Safety Executive: Safety and Health Topics: Asbestos (www.hse.gov.uk)

Environment Agency: Asbestos and Vermiculite (www.environment-agency.gov.uk)

Even if the work being performed at your company does not involve asbestos, there may be a dangerous amount of asbestos dust or fibres in the air, whether from deterioration of some of the building products such as insulation or boiler room components, or from renovations (planned or past) that may release carcinogenic levels of asbestos.

Don’t deal with deteriorating asbestos or asbestos renovations without guidance

Health and safety Executive provides Asbestos information that shows how to comply with asbestos standards. The information is geared towards owners, tenants, and managers of buildings, contractors who perform building renovations that may involve asbestos, and housekeeping companies.

Know the signs of toxic asbestos exposure

Health and safety Executive and the Environment Agency both estimate that more than one million workers in construction and general industry within the UK have been or are subjected to significant asbestos exposure as part of their work. Employers should be aware of the symptoms of elevated asbestos exposure, which can include:

• pain in the chest or abdomen
• shortness of breath
• prolonged hoarseness
• difficulty swallowing
• blood in fluid coughed up from the lungs
• significant weight loss

If your employee is experiencing such symptoms, immediate medical care is advised.

Health Effects of Asbestos

Tips&Tactics

If you’re not sure what the many forms of asbestos look like, get on the Internet, where many pictures of asbestos products and asbestos fibres can be found.
If you’ve found materials or products at your worksite that you suspect may contain asbestos, begin the process of determining whether they should be removed; if they need to go, find out how to remove them safely.

If you’re in doubt about how to go about removing asbestos components at your workplace, contact a certified asbestos abatement contractor, found in the Biggreenbook Supplier Directory. Many contractors will also provide a free estimate.

Don’t let your employees handle asbestos-containing materials or products. The level of asbestos they may be exposed to is not worth the risk or the convenience of "doing it yourself."

Asbestos Regulations

Under the Asbestos Regulations, anyone carrying out work on asbestos insulation, asbestos coating or asbestos insulating board (AIB) needs a licence issued by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) unless they meet one of the exemptions as listed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

REMEMBER: Although you may not need a licence to carry out a particular job, you still need to comply with the rest of the requirements of the Asbestos Regulations.

If the work is licensable you have a number of additional duties. You need to:

• Notify the enforcing authority responsible for the site where you are working (for example the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the local authority)
• Designate the work area (see regulation 18 for details)
• Prepare specific asbestos emergency procedures
• Pay for your employees to undergo medical surveillance

The Asbestos Regulations also require any analysis of the concentration of asbestos in the air to be measured in accordance with the 1997 World Health Authority (WHO) recommended method.

From 6 April 2007, a clearance certificate for re-occupation may only be issued by a body accredited to do so. At the moment, such accreditation can only be provided by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

You can find more details of how to undertake work with asbestos-containing materials, the type of controls necessary, what training is a required and analytical method in the following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publications:

• Approved Code of Practice Work with Materials containing Asbestos, L143, ISBN 978 0 7176 6206 7
• Asbestos: the Licensed Contractors Guide, HSG247, ISBN 978 0 7176 2874 2
• Asbestos: The analysts’ guide for sampling, analysis and clearance procedures, HSG248, ISBN 978 0 7176 2875 9
• Asbestos Essentials, HSG 210, ISBN 978 0 7176 6263 0 (Asbestos Essentials task sheets are available on the Asbestos Essentials area of the website: www.hse.gov.uk).

REMEMBER: You must also comply with other health and safety legislation also.